Some words of advice to a misguided leader

By Raymond Jones

Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 09:04 PM.

To the editor:

During Barrack Hussein Obama’s first address to the nation after the Boston Marathon attack, he just couldn’t — once again — utter the words “terrorist” or “terrorism.” This came after a coordinated double bombing left three dead and upward of 180 grievously wounded.

Following is how I imagine a top presidential counselor may have advised Obama on his reluctance to use such words in subsequent addresses to the American people:

“Your Royal Majesty, we may have a perception problem here.

“Does Your Eminence recall those pesky Fort Hood soldiers — the ones suing you for those Purple Heart Medals and other benefits — the ones shot up by that disgruntled Major Nidal Hasan, zealously shouting, “Allahu Akbar,” as he blasted away? Thirteen American soldiers were murdered and scores more were seriously wounded — many of them maimed for life.

“Well, Your Lordship, you cleverly handled that one without mentioning the word “terrorist.” You simply categorized the incident as workplace violence with no connection to our overseas contingencies. But, then, you had Hasan’s spiritual and jihadist counselor killed in Yemen, after declaring him a terrorist. For many Americans this didn’t add up: Hasan, the trigger-puller and committed jihadist, was not considered an Islamic terrorist by you but his online mentor and chief instigator was?

“Then, Your Excellency, we have Benghazi, where our ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were murdered and many others were wounded in a savage attack on our consulate.

During Barrack Hussein Obama’s first address to the nation after the Boston Marathon attack, he just couldn’t — once again — utter the words “terrorist” or “terrorism.” This came after a coordinated double bombing left three dead and upward of 180 grievously wounded.

Following is how I imagine a top presidential counselor may have advised Obama on his reluctance to use such words in subsequent addresses to the American people:

“Your Royal Majesty, we may have a perception problem here.

“Does Your Eminence recall those pesky Fort Hood soldiers — the ones suing you for those Purple Heart Medals and other benefits — the ones shot up by that disgruntled Major Nidal Hasan, zealously shouting, “Allahu Akbar,” as he blasted away? Thirteen American soldiers were murdered and scores more were seriously wounded — many of them maimed for life.

“Well, Your Lordship, you cleverly handled that one without mentioning the word “terrorist.” You simply categorized the incident as workplace violence with no connection to our overseas contingencies. But, then, you had Hasan’s spiritual and jihadist counselor killed in Yemen, after declaring him a terrorist. For many Americans this didn’t add up: Hasan, the trigger-puller and committed jihadist, was not considered an Islamic terrorist by you but his online mentor and chief instigator was?

“Then, Your Excellency, we have Benghazi, where our ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were murdered and many others were wounded in a savage attack on our consulate.

“You — Your Most High — and Susan Wright and Hilary Clinton did your absolute best to steer the American public into believing the murders had nothing to do with a coordinated Islamist attack; instead, for weeks all of you relentlessly pushed that video trailer as the cause, calling it a spontaneous assault against our people by outraged protestors.

“Of course, our acolytes in the mainstream media worked very hard — on your behalf, Oh Great One — to convince the American people that you did call the attack terrorism, even though what you initially said was, at best, ambiguously generic. Then you — with all your greatness and splendor — immediately hopped on Air Force One to do some last-minute re-election campaigning in Las Vegas, leaving some Americans to wonder why you seemed so detached at such a critical moment.

“Not that you don’t deserve great glamour in your super cool and most splendid life; but some Americans may view your extravagant vacations with the family, fundraisers with George Clooney, cigar smoke-offs with Jay-Z, tee-offs with Tiger Woods, and sing-alongs with Cindy Lauper at the White House as a bit much during these troubled times.

“But don’t worry too much. Our blame-America-first left-wing media are now painting a sympathetic picture of the two Marathon murder suspects. They’re basing their reports on friends and family stories about the brothers being just kids and misunderstood nice boys that have been mistreated in America. One is only 19 and the other one was only 26, for heaven’s sake. Others in the print media have prayed but are now disappointed that white Americans didn’t pull off the attack.

“So, you see, Oh Great Master, the heat is lowering on blaming radical Muslims for the attack in Boston. Therefore, in your future addresses to the American people you don’t have say words like “extremists” or “Islamists” or “jihadists” or “militants” or “fundamentalists;” however, I do recommend that you unhesitatingly and clearly label the Marathon attack as terrorism and call the suspects terrorists, just to comfort those Americans perplexed as to why you couldn’t in the past. And while doing so, hang at the White House, have lots of photo-ops with your senior advisors, and look involved.

“Pretty soon all this irritating talk about Muslim terrorism will subside once again, and then — at outrageous expense to the American taxpayer — you and Her Royal Highness, Michelle, and the kids can resume your jet-setting lifestyles and meet with your celebrity pals and campaign and vacation whenever and wherever you please.

“While that’s going on, Oh Greatest Person Ever to Live, you can move forward with your mission of fundamentally changing America into the socialistic utopian paradise of your dreams, by undermining the U.S. Constitution, demoralizing our armed forces, mollifying our citizenry, and crushing our national economy during the process. And when these things are completed and America is reborn, all that is new in this country will be eponymous to your glorious name.”

If such advice were given, it must have worked, because since that first address, after the Boston Marathon attack, Obama and all his political cronies can’t say terrorists or terrorism enough during their speeches.